1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a training assembly for improving the grip on a golf club.
2. Description of the Related Art
The success of athletic endeavors that involve the use of a club, racquet or other hand-held implement is often thought to be highly dependent upon the proper grip by the athlete on the implement. Training in such endeavors typically includes attempts to change the athlete's grip on the implement in order to improve speed and direction of movement of the implement in play. While the position and orientation of the hand or hands on the implement is an important factor to consider when attempting to improve the grip, it is also recognized that the grip may be improved by changing the pressure of various portions of the hand or hands on the implement.
In golf, for example, professionals and amateurs alike recognize the benefit of ensuring that the grip pressure exerted by the hand away from the target (that is, the "off-target hand") is less than the grip pressure of the hand facing the target (the "target hand"). When the off-target hand pressure is less than the target hand pressure, it is likely that the target hand will be more effective as a lever in "pulling" the club through the stroke so that greater distance in the path of the ball can be attained. The off-target hand in this situation essentially follows the path governed by the target hand and functions to steady and guide movement of the club through the swing in subordinate fashion to the target hand.
However, it is often difficult for a golfer to relax the grip of the off-target hand to such an extent that the grip pressure of the target hand is greater than the grip pressure of the off-target hand. A right-handed person, for example, normally grips the club in such a manner that the right hand is the off-target hand. Unfortunately, the right hand of a right-handed person has a tendency to dominate movement of the left hand. Beginning or less-experienced golfers thus often face the problem of the off-target hand dominating club movement such that the club is "pushed" rather than "pulled" through the stroke, with the result that the target hand does not obtain sufficient leverage to move the club with enough power to enable the ball to travel a satisfactory distance.
Golf lessons sometimes involve directing the player's attention to the grip pressure exerted by both hands, so that a conscious effort can be made to relax the grip pressure of the off-target hand. Such efforts, however, are often ineffective because the golfer's arms move through a series of complex motions during the swing that may cause the grip pressures to change. Moreover, during the relatively short time span occupied by the swing, the golfer must also pay attention to other considerations such as direction of movement of the club and orientation of the club head, and as a consequence sufficient attention to the relative grip pressures may not be achieved. Many golfers attempt to apply the foregoing principles of grip pressure to the putting stroke as well as to the full swing, although successful efforts during the putting stroke are also often difficult to achieve.
Advanced golfers are often aware of the benefits of light grip pressures of the target hand. Any degree of grip pressure in the target hand that is greater than the minimum necessary to control the direction of club movement is likely to inhibit the speed of club movement, and as a result advanced golfers attempt to reduce pressures applied to the grip in the target hand. Typically, advanced golfers strive to grip the end of the club with only the last two or three fingers of the target hand. The momentum advantage achieved by such a grip is similar to that achieved by suspending a pendulum by the end of the pendulum arm rather the holding the pendulum closer to its bob.
Over the years, various devices have been proposed to train the golfer to use proper relative grip pressure. One example of such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,896 and includes a lever arm that is normally spaced above the outer surface of a grip of a golf club and extends along a lower portion of the grip. In use, the golfer extends the middle two fingers of the off-target hand over the lever arm, and excessive pressure of the fingers on the lever arm closes switch contacts that, in turn, activates a signal to warn the golfer that the off-target hand is exerting excessive pressure. Unfortunately, the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,896 is somewhat unsatisfactory because the protruding lever arm essentially precludes the golfer's fingers from assuming the normal placement and orientation directly on the outer surface of the grip as would be desired during play.
Another proposed device for training the golfer to use correct grip pressure is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,118 and concerns, in one embodiment, a golf club having stiffly resilient steel pads buried beneath the club grip. Strain gauges on the pads are electrically coupled by cable to read-out equipment located a few feet behind the golfer for indicating variations in grip pressure. However, the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,118 is relatively complex and expensive due to the read-out equipment, and does not provide immediate feedback to the golfer as the stroke is progressing since the read-out equipment cannot be readily observed by the golfer during the stroke. Moreover, the strain gauges and steel pads cannot be readily transferred from one club to the next because the pads are located beneath the grip, with the result that a particular club must be dedicated for use with the device. Also, since the club is tethered to read-out equipment, the club cannot readily be used while playing an actual round of golf on the golf course.